US to weigh tighter rules on Chinese students, dreading espionage

DECEMBER 1, 2018 

The Trump administration has become extra-cautious about the Chinese Students studying in the US soil and they have been considering new background checks and other restrictions, over emerging espionage concerns, as the US officials and Congressional sources said.

In the wake of espionage concern, the US state department had shortened the length of visas for Chinese graduate students studying aviation, advanced manufacturing and robotics to one year from five, in June, as the US officials said and the goal of this approach was to limit the risk spying and theft of intellectual property, in the areas, which are vital to national security.

In the face of tense trade war, this time, the US administration will be weighing the Chinese students before getting admitted. While the idea is still under consideration, the implementation might have already been on the move, as a US congressional spokesman said.

The US law enforcement is also anticipating highly skilled academic officials, trained on detecting spies and cyber thefts, in this regard. “Every Chinese student who China sends here has to go through a party and government approval process.

You may not be here for espionage purposes as traditionally defined, but no Chinese student who’s coming here is untethered from the state,”one US official said.